‘Richard III’ opens Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival

REGAL BEARING—
Actresses Anne Lockhart,
left, and Julia Duffy, of
TV show “Newhart” fame,
share a scene during a
performance of “Richard
III” at the Kingsmen
Shakespeare Festival
under the stars at CLU
last Friday evening. “The
Merry Wives of Windsor”
will be performed later this
month. Pre-show entertainment and picnicking
begins at 5:30 p.m.
Shows start at 8 p.m.
Director Jeffrey Combs takes
“Richard III,” often described as
Shakespeare’s “nasty comedy,”
into 19th-century London. The
Kingsmen Shakespeare Company’s
production stars veteran actor Lane
Davies as the dastardly Richard,
who creates a bloody path on his
way to the crown.

Combs, who has starred in
more than 40 films, is best known
for his portrayal of Herbert West
in the cult classic “Re-Animator.”
Most of his film credits are in the
science fiction/horror genre so he
is well-practiced in the art of creating a mischievous melodrama. A
former “Star Trek” character and
current “4400” cast regular,
Combs says he believes “Richard
III” fits perfectly into the world of
London in the late 1800s.”

He transports tragic Richard with
all of his black-hearted ambitions into
the time of Sherlock Holmes and
Frankenstein, with the feel of the “old
cloak-and-dagger thrillers and
wicked monster movies.”

Performances of “Richard III”
will be tonight, July 8, and July
9, 10, 22, 23 and 24. Co-produced
by the Kingsmen Shakespeare
Company and California Lutheran
University, this year’s festival also
includes performances of “The
Merry Wives of Windsor” on July 15,
16, 17, 29, 30, 31 and Aug. 5, 6 and 7.

Grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for
picnicking and pre-show entertainment, with musicians, dancing,
juggling and sword-fighting demonstrations prior to the 8 p.m. curtain call. California Lutheran University is at 60 W. Olsen Road,
Thousand Oaks.